He said PASDEC efforts are bearing fruits as the marble exports which was $59 million last year has been showing increasing trend.

Addressing the All Pakistan Marble Industries Association (APMIA)'s newly elected office bearers here on Tuesday, he said PASDEC introduced model projects of marble and granite development in the country due to which exports quantum was increasing adequately.

He said a number of model quarries, quarry upgradations, warehouses and machinery pools projects have been launched in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhawa and FATA to transform the sector into dimensional stone industry.

The value added productions of marble square blocks has endorsed positive effects on industry and will strengthen the national economy, he added.

Ihsanullah Khan said that due to value added marble production by using state of the art machinery, Pakistan may succeed to pick up a lot of exports orders from international market.

In this connection PASDEC has participated in exhibitions and international stone fair held in Italy and displayed its marble products.

"We expect to catch major orders in coming days," he added.

Copyright APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2011